Sometimes in life we are faced with a choice where bravery is required to help us make it. My recent decision to have my tonsils out was just such a one! (picture from alamy.com)
I know small children do it all the time, but everyone told me (and I now know first hand), that a tonsillectomy is a hideous experience for anyone aged over about 12 years of age. I am well over that (!!) and it has been truly hideous.
I was getting along fine with months of grumbling tonsillitis, but I knew life could be better if I was brave enough to have them removed.
We often face this kind of ‘life’s alright but…’ choice. It reminds me of when I decided to leave my role in John Lewis all those years ago. The job was fun, highly regarded with a good salary and perks, but it wasn’t quite the job I wanted to retire from, to look back on my working life and say that was it.! But to step away from something with kudos and that paid the bills in to something that might fall flat on its face felt very brave.
The transition curve kind of represents this:
Sometimes we stay in denial: things are alright, we’re happy enough, performing well enough, rich enough. We can find ourselves denying the other possibilities are out there or that we could do them. But if we take the risk and step off the edge, if we are brave enough to challenge ourselves and courageous enough to try then we might work through the difficulties represented by that dip in the curve and get up the top right hand side and really flourish.
And of course, if we’re not courageous and don’t try, we’ll never know. As Dr Samuel Johnson put it:
Courage is the greatest of all virtues because if you haven’t courage, you may not have the opportunity to use any of the others
If for you good enough is truly good enough, then great, stay with it. But if it’s just good enough, then maybe it’s time to be braver, grab your courage, step out and choose something else.
Whenever I’ve made choices with courage it has paid off. It certainly did with leaving John Lewis. I am hoping very much it does with losing my tonsils too!
Hoping you are thriving despite these difficult times. Great to share a Choose You thought with you. Love to hear your comments.
Jenny